Milwaukee pilot project offers prostitutes help instead of arrest

April 14, 2014|By Annie Sweeney, Tribune reporter

Jessica White, 21, who has a daughter to support, said she turned to prostitution after struggling to find work and a place to live. She was arrested and received a $1,600 fine in DuPage County. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune)

In 2010 in Milwaukee's third police district, where prostitutes were common enough to draw regular complaints from neighbors, police turned to a common tactic to stop the problem — street-level sweeps.

But the complaints kept coming, and district officers kept arresting the same people.

That frustration led to a pilot project in the district, making Milwaukee one of a handful of jurisdictions across the country exploring ways to formally avoid arresting prostitutes.

Prostitutes detained in the district today are given an option to avoid arrest by committing to a social service program. If they accept, they are driven to Benedict Center, which specializes in sex trafficking issues. The center already works with Milwaukee prosecutors to provide treatment to prostitutes.

Before being dropped off, the women are interviewed by police and a prosecutor assigned to the district to see if they have any information about a sex trafficker or pimp.

Once at Benedict Center, the women are offered services for some of the underlying reasons behind prostitution: drug abuse, trauma or, perhaps, coercion at the hands of a trafficker.

Jeanne Geraci, Benedict Center executive director, said the therapeutic option stands a better chance at drawing women out of prostitution.

"Sitting in jail is not something that magically changes people," she said.

Sixty-four women have agreed to participate in the program. Of those, 14 percent have been rearrested.

Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Ladwig, who runs the program, said the pilot project is still being studied, but officials are encouraged by the numbers.

Milwaukee officials have consulted with Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle's justice advisory council, which is considering a similar project.